It is not that often that one comes across a lead character in a film who can be branded as an anti-hero or maybe even an antagonist. Abhinav Sundar Nayak’s pet project, his debut film, is all about a despicable man named Mukundan Unni who is in the rat race to become a successful lawyer—a successful man so that he feels good about himself and garners respect from his peers. “Mukundan Unni Associates” is not like any other film. Here, the leading man is not the epitome of goodness. Just like in every other character from a Vineeth Sreenivasan film, the leading man has flaws but makes a journey and becomes a changed man by the end of it. But this is not a Vineeth Sreenivasan film, and the director here is in no mood to carve a picture-perfect leading man that would sweep you off your feet.
Mukundan Unni here is witty and selfish; the narcissist is overconfident, and a sadist who would go to great lengths to make sure he and only he can lead a successful life, and the rest can just stay behind, be in awe of his intelligence. Mukundan comes from a kind of society that believes as a man; he needs to be out there, take care of himself, and be a known person—so much so that people around him would envy his success. Mukundan has a habit of speaking to himself, and through voiceovers in the film, one gets to know the real person behind the façade he is putting across in front of his mother, friends, wife, colleagues, and prospective clients. He looks down upon his people and is jealous of other people’s success, including his friend, ex-girlfriend, or wife. Abhinav Sundar Nayak carefully added layers of all the characters we despise from the fictional cinematic world, picked up a lot from people around him, and gave us a delicious man who has no boundaries when it comes to achieving something for himself. His thoughts are dark, his intentions are crooked, and for his benefit, Mukundan would throw anyone under the bus without worrying about the consequences of his actions.
Mukundan Unni begins with the leading man pumping himself up to become a successful man, a handsome man who has a solution to help a local MLA get out of a murky situation. Mukundan is turned down by the MLA’s husband, an ex-minister for not being experienced enough. Mukundan again considered himself to be the smartest one in the group and hoped he would be appreciated for input that would help the MLA Reshma George. Mukundan always thought of himself to be ten steps ahead of everyone around him, which makes him deserving of being in the driver’s seat. Even though his idea of getting into accident insurance claims came from Advocate Venu, his future rival, he does not give any credit to the said man for showing him a path that is not necessarily right, but still, credit where credit is due. It is disturbing to see Mukundan enjoying making others feel unnerved in front of him. Mukundan managed to unravel Advocate Venu as if he was floating happily in the air just out of sheer joy.
Mukundan, though, was able to successfully dethrone Advocate Venu, but a slight change in situations around him made him take a drastic step. Mukundan did not twitch or curl before he decided to kill his only opponent in the town. The joy on his face to see Venu die, and along with that, the tinge of psychic vibrations was very evident. Mukundan’s ability to see Venu hours after he passed away; hallucinations and imagination took over. At this point it is easily understandable that Mukundan is suffering from psychological issues which have remained undiagnosed. Mukundan’s hallucinations and the fact that they speak to him reflect what he wants to do in life to others. Advocate Venu never thought or worked the way Mukundan did, which was obvious, but suddenly Venu advised him to take up actions that fit Mukundan’s pattern of behavior, which is a proof that Mukundan’s actions and behaviors are not right. His mind gets into a dark space, which lets him make decisions that make it impossible for many to think the way he wants. Including his friend Robin and his ex-girlfriend, Advocate Jyothi,
Mukundan’s character arc from the start till the end reeked of an old Malayalam film that starred Vineeth Sreenivasan’s father, Sreenivasan: “Vadakkunokkiyantram.” The film also deals with a man who constantly grapples with the fact that he is not a good enough husband or macho enough, or handsome enough to be with his beautiful wife. He was struggling with an inferiority complex, which ruined his relationship with his wife. “Mukundan Unni Associates” did not project the fact that Mukndan Unni suffered from a psychological or mental health issue, but rather his inclination towards all things dark and messy by showing no empathy towards the murder of a man or a group of children who were severely injured in a school bus accident. Mukundan, as a man, is filled with vile intentions of making himself most successful among veteran lawyers, and he becomes one too. He believes he broke the conventional rules and made his mark in a society where people like Advocate Venu were thriving, who, according to Mukundan, wasn’t visionary.
As perfectly said by Sansa Stark in the Song of Ice and Fire books written by George RR Martin, “there are no heroes…in life, the monsters win.” This is exactly how the film “Mukundan Unni Associates” can be defined. Men like Mukundan Unni and women like Meenaxi exist who thrive on the fact that they don’t want to have any sympathy or empathy for people around them, and the rat race of the world has made them highly cynical and less emotional human beings. “Mukundan Unni Associates” is a fantastic study on how human minds function and respond to their environment. It is surprisingly good to watch characters like Mukundan Unni being written with such depth and no shades so that no one will find anything good in him but only despise him for who he is. Mukundan Unni is hateful, awful, vengeful, and not at all sugar, spice, and everything nice. A deliciously evil man.